SEE PAGE 2 for ban of confederate flag signed into law
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 - OCTOBER 5, 2014
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Convicted of soliciting prostitution? Get ready to see your name online by Vickie Vértiz
-Photo by Michel Gagnon
The Anaheim City Council decided last Tuesday that any person convicted of soliciting a prostitute for sex will also have their names listed on the Internet for the world to see. The Orange County Reg-
ister reported statistics from the Anaheim Police Department and showed that, between January 1 and September 21, 2014, Anaheim arrested 35 people for soliciting a prostitute and for prostitution itself. Additionally,
2011 had 47 arrests, 2012 with 33 arrests, and 2013 with the highest number: 72 arrests. A year ago, the Office of the District Attorney in Orange Please see page 4
Child molester sentenced to 25 years to life A man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration for sexually assaulting two boys, ages 9 to 11, and possessing graphic amateur and commercial child pornography featuring young boys. Oscar Manuel Vaquera, 39, Anaheim, was found guilty by a jury June 19, 2014, of two felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, two felony counts of possession of child pornography, and one felony count of distributing child pornography with sentencing en-
hancement allegations for lewd acts against more than one victim and substantial sexual conduct with a child. At the time of the crimes, Vaquera lived in a bedroom in an Anaheim house. Other people, to whom the defendant was not related, also lived in other bedrooms in the home. Vaquera drilled a hole from his closet into the bathroom and secretly photographed and recorded young boys as they used the restroom and showered. On one occasion between
2007 and 2008, Vaquera sexually assaulted 11-year-old John Doe #1 while the victim stayed overnight in the defendant’s home while visiting a family member. The defendant touched John Doe #1’s penis while the victim was sleeping. Vaquera recorded the sexual assault. This case went unreported at the time. On one occasion between 2011 and 2012, Vaquera sexually assaulted John Doe #2 when the victim was between 9 and 11 Please see page 3
SEE PAGE 3 for nsvrc and nfl to address sexual violence VOLUME 1, NO. 22
Rep. Schiff calls U.S. military strikes against ISIL ‘significant’ Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a senior Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the President ordered strikes against ISIL and the Khorasan group in Syria Monday night: “Last night’s airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria represent a significant expansion of the Administration’s efforts to degrade and ultimately defeat this new terrorist ‘state.’ The participation of Arab forces is especially important, not only to put an Arab face on the American led coalition, but also to cement their involvement in the longterm effort required to defeat ISIL. “The attack on the Khorasan group was also significant. On the Intelligence Committee we have long been aware of, and concerned with, the threat posed by this amalgam of core Al Qaeda from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the premier bomb-makers of AQAP, and abundant foreign recruits who can easily travel abroad to carry out attacks against Europe and United States. The Khorasan group and AQAP continue to be the most proximate threat to our nation. “This significant escalation of the military effort makes it all the more imperative for Congress to take up a new authorization to use force. The rationale given by the Administration, that its actions against ISIL can be justified by an authorization passed by Congress in the days after 9/11, is increasingly untenable, and Congress must not abdicate its responsibility. Congress should never have recessed with a war underway – we should take up this issue the moment we return to session.”
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Governor signs ban of Confederate flag into law Because the Confederate states, which favored slavery, promoted the Confederate flag during the Civil War, it is to many a sign of racism rather than Southern pride. When the mother of State Assemblyman Isador Hall, D-Compton, spotted imitated Confederate money featuring the Confederate flag at the Capitol gift shop in Sacramento, her son decided to introduce bill AB 2444, with which he wants to “fend off the ugly hatred of racism”. The legislation, which prohibits “state agencies from selling or displaying items bearing the
Confederate flag,” according to Al Jazeera, was signed into law last Thursday by Governor Jerry Brown. For Hall and others, the flag symbolizes racism, hatred, and is meant to intimidate. In August, the California State Assembly supported the law 66-1 proving to Hall that legislators were “standing together united to fend off the ugly hatred of racism that's been portrayed and demonstrated through the emblem of the Confederacy." Republican Tim Donnelly told the Los Angeles Times that because he is a “strict Constitu-
CalOptima ranked top medi-cal plan in California CalOptima is California’s top-ranked Medi-Cal health plan, according to the NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015, released September 18. Serving more than 600,000 low-income residents in Orange County, CalOptima is 1st in the state and 29th nationwide among the 136 Medicaid plans that were ranked. The NCQA rankings are based on standardized, third-party-audited data regarding health care quality and customer satisfaction, as well as NCQA accreditation scores. “CalOptima’s commitment to quality for our members is reflected in the NCQA recogni-
tion,” said Mark Refowitz, Chairman of the CalOptima Board of Directors. “Our ranking is confirmation that Orange County’s most vulnerable residents are healthier because of CalOptima and our provider partners.” CalOptima CEO Michael Schrader said that the 2014–2015 NCQA rankings of Medicaid plans come at an important time of expanded access to such plans. In Orange County and through CalOptima, nearly 200,000 people have gained health coverage since January 2014, he said. “Our new members can rely on CalOptima and feel confident that the care they receive is among the best in the state,” Schrader said.
tionalist,” he sees the law interfering with the right to free speech. Al Jazeera reported that “other lawmakers argued that the legislation does not violate free-speech rights because it only applies to formal actions of government officials and agencies. Moreover, the law allows for the flag to be used for historical or educational purposes and does not apply to people on state property.” John Mc Worther of the Daily Beast believes that there are more important steps to take against racism than ban-
ning the Confederate flag, for example, addressing the issue of police brutality against African-Americans: “When we talk about ’fending off’ racism, we need to fend off the kind of thing that happened to people like Michael Brown, John Crawford, Eric Garner, and Ezell Ford all within the past month’s time. Make an America where this sort of thing isn’t routine, and maybe then we can get to worrying our heads over flags. And yet, even then, I highly suspect most of us wouldn’t really even feel the need to bother.”
Gun violence prevention law Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has signed into law a bill reinstating a pilot program authorizing specified City Attorneys, including Los Angeles, to evict tenants who unlawfully possess or sell illegal firearms or ammunition on the premises. The pilot program sunset on January 1, 2014. AB 2310, authored by Assembly Member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and Assembly Member Roger Dickinson, was sponsored by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer. It passed both houses of the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. “This law provides my Office with an important tool that will help keep communities safe from illegal guns,” said City Attorney Feuer. “We have effectively used this approach in the past and expect to employ in our future work to prevent gun violence.” “Neighborhood safety is a top priority for every community in California,” said Assembly Member Sebastian RidleyThomas. “Residents cannot be safe in their homes and apartments when persons possess illegal weapons or engage in unlawful firearms and ammunition sales from their rented units. I applaud Governor Jerry Brown for signing AB 2310 into law to provide city attorneys and
landlords with an effective tool to evict tenants who possess illegal weapons or sell guns and ammunition from the homes or apartments they rent. This effort has been particularly successful in Los Angeles due to the diligent neighborhood safety efforts advanced by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer. Illegal weapons and unlawful weapons dealings have no place in our neighborhoods.” AB 2310 authorizes the City Attorney to notify the property owner of a weapon or ammunition related crime committed on the premises by the tenant and requires the property owner to evict that tenant. The City Attorney also notifies the tenant of the City’s ability to begin the eviction process. If the property owner fears for his/her safety, the bill authorizes the City Attorney to bring an unlawful detainer action on the owner’s behalf, helping shield landlords from retaliatory threats or violent reprisals. From 2010-2013 the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office sent out 85 notification letters pursuant to the pilot program. More than 30% of the tenants vacated their units following receipt of those notices. Property owners filed cases in approximately 25% of the remaining matters.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 - OCTOBER 5, 2014 | 3
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NSVRC teams up with NFL to address sexual violence The National Sexual Violence Resource Center announces a multi-year partnership with the National Football League to address the farreaching impacts of sexual assault and domestic violence. The NFL has pledged financial and in-kind support to the NSVRC for distribution to support state and local sexual assault hotlines. The NFL is also pledging support to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. “We applaud the NFL for taking sexual assault and domestic violence seriously. We look forward to partnering with them and think it is a great model for influential organizations to support the work of
sexual assault victim advocacy programs at state and local levels to ensure safety for survivors,” NSVRC Director Karen Baker said. As part of the partnership, the NSVRC will contribute resources that will be distributed to all NFL teams. The collaboration also will create ongoing opportunities to support people affected by sexual assault. In August, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly announced the league’s new policies regarding sexual assault and domestic violence. “We clearly must do a better job of addressing [domestic violence and sexual assault] in the NFL. And we will,”
Goodell said. “By partnering with experts in the field of sexual assault and domestic violence, the NFL could become leaders in changing the pro sports culture by promoting equality and relationships that exemplify respect and consent,” said Delilah Rumburg, CEO of NSVRC. Sexual Assault Awareness Month, hosts national events, and works with experts across the U.S. to identify, develop and disseminate information on all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention. For information, visit www.nsvrc.org, www.facebook.com/ nsvrc and www.twitter.com/ nsvrc.
Child molester sentenced Continued from page 1
years old. The victim is not related to the defendant. The defendant touched the victim’s penis while the victim was awake and video-recorded the sexual assault. This case also went unreported. In 2011, the Anaheim Police Department (APD) began investigating a case of possession of child pornography after tracing a download of commercial child pornography to the defendant’s home. On March 1, 2012, APD searched the defendant’s home related to the child pornography investigation. The defendant was in possession of videos and photographs of graphic child pornography on his computer. He possessed both commercial and amateur child pornography images featuring young boys. The defendant was arrested at the scene. APD discovered the sexual assaults against John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 in the course of the investigation. Deputy District Attorney Jess Rodriguez of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted this case.
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4 | SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 - OCTOBER 5, 2014
Governor Brown signs sister state agreement with China’s Guangdong Province Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. last week signed an agreement to establish a sister state/province relationship between California and the Guangdong Province of China and pledged to strengthen ties with the province on trade, technological innovation, clean energy, low carbon development, education and tourism. Last year – during the Governor’s Trade and Investment Mission to China – Governor Brown visited Guangdong’s capital city of Guangzhou, where he committed to forge a stronger relationship with China’s most populous and economically productive province. The agreement builds on more than a year and a half of significant diplomatic and busi-
ness exchanges between California and China, including a climate change agreement with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the Trade and Investment Mission to China, the opening of the California-China Office of Trade and Investment in Shanghai and a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping. Partnership on climate change was one of many subjects the Governor discussed with President Xi and a key component of the trade mission, which included a first-of-its-kind agreement with China’s Minister of Environmental Protection, a meeting with officials from the National Development and Reform Commission and remarks on climate change at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
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1st annual “Noche de Risas” October 3, 8:00pm Two of the most famous comedians in Latin America are joining together for a night filled with laughter to benefit the causes of two great organizations. Haz la diferencia and Hispanic Education Endowment Fund. This is entertainment with purpose! Location: The City Nation-
al Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave, Anaheim, 92806 Presented by Organization Haz La Diferecia For more information or to purchase tickets please see the number and/or link below: 714-712-2700 http://www.citynationalgroveofanaheim.com
Prostitution offenses made public Continued from page 1
County implemented the same policy that posts the names of offenders on its website and also gives out said list to media outlets, a serious threat built to dissuade potential offenders. The City of Anaheim did not state when it will begin practicing its new regulation. The Register itself, however, has a policy that does not name those arrested for misdemeanor crimes including prostitution and driving under the influence (DUIs). Opponents of the policies say public shaming will harm the families of those convicted, but Councilwoman Lucille Kring said that men who solicit sex acts “put themselves in jeopardy.” Offenders could be subjecting those they solicit and their partners to sexually transmitted infections that could prove deadly. With the new policy, public sharing of information could ruin careers and reputations. Kring proposed the policy to the City Council to curb and eventually eliminate the prostitution along Beach Boulevard on the west side of Anaheim. Anaheim officials said they only plan to list the names of convicted solicitors, because they believe it will discourage pimps to “take their business elsewhere,” said the paper. However, this only moves the prostitution into another neighborhood, one perhaps with less advocates or
homeowners to protect their neighborhood in the same way. Even Mayor Tom Tait is not so sure what the policy will do: “I don’t know if this is the most effective thing we can do to address this, but it will help.” The Register also noted that “Anaheim is the only city in Orange County that prosecutes its own criminal misdemeanors, including prostitution.” In fact, the biggest root of prostitution in Orange County, reported the Register, largely comes from human traffickers, who often force young women and underage girls into having sex with men against their will, something the D.A. and Anaheim city officials have echoed. If this is the main cause, what policies could be put in place on the local level to punish the people who are behind the trafficking in the first place? The Register talked with one council person who said that, “All too often, human trafficking involves children as young as 12, both boys and girls.” Councilwoman Kris Murray added that, “The fact that individuals think that they can come into our city for this type of prostitution … are sorely mistaken.” The way policy focus remains on punitive as opposed to preventive and creative measures, puts more effective and long-term problem solving a long way down the road.